Secondary education

Extra film study by the Chargers' defensive backs has helped yield impressive results on the field

By Kevin Acee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 30, 2006

Extra film study by the Chargers' defensive backs, here surrounding Chris Henry in the Nov. 12 win at Cincinnati, has helped yield impressive results on the field, with this season likely to rank as the Bolts' best pass defense since 1998.
In a dimly lit room where they have already been required to spend a good portion of their day, the Chargers' defensive backs voluntarily stay 45 minutes or more after most of their teammates have departed for home.
After their final meeting of the day, the members of the Chargers' secondary meet as a group, without position coach Brian Stewart, every Wednesday and Thursday to watch themselves and opponents on film.

As a weekday afternoon becomes evening and a group of men critique each other, demand accountability from each other and suggest to each other ways of improving, Sunday becomes easier.
“We're in the classroom a whole lot more than we have been in the past,” safety Terrence Kiel said. “And that's why we're having success.” BHAWOH JUE
Backup safety brings experience, versatility. ANTONIO CROMARTIE
Rookie corner, team's first-round pick, has made an impact. CLINTON HART
Backup safety always seems to be around the ball. Has three interceptions. CLINTON HART
Backup safety always seems to be around the ball. Has three interceptions. TERRENCE KIEL
Strong safety in his fourth season credits group study with helping overall secondary performance. MARLON McCREE
Free safety, signed as a free agent from Carolina, has been a solidifying force and inspiration for extra classroom sessions. DRAYTON FLORENCE
Startingcorner has been consistent playmaker in his fourth season, and has three interceptions. QUENTIN JAMMER
Cornerback is having his best season, with a career-high four interceptions. Some teams don't even throw his way. Leads all Chargers DBs in tackles.

These meetings are not the lone reason for the secondary's improvement. The group is a year older, a year wiser. Free safety Marlon McCree has been a much-needed leader on and off the field. Certainly, Stewart deserves credit, his being the only voice teaching this season after assistant Albert Lewis was fired in January.
But to listen to the players, too much cannot be made of their extra study.
It is in those meetings where they watch and talk about what they did right and wrong the previous week and identify tendencies and talents of the offense they play in the coming Sunday.
“You've got guys playing more aggressively because they're confident in what they see,” said McCree, credited by the other DBs for instilling this new devotion to studying.
The results have verged on miraculous.
Quentin Jammer has become a shutdown corner, with a career-high four interceptions and the ultimate compliment of teams beginning to throw away from him. Drayton Florence has been astonishingly consistent, in position to make interceptions if not actually making many. Kiel has been much improved in pass coverage. Situational players such as Clinton Hart, Bhawoh Jue and Antonio Cromartie have made big plays.
Statistically, this will likely end up being the Chargers' best pass defense since 1998 and perhaps even one of the team's top 10 pass defenses in the modern era. With one regular-season game remaining, the Chargers have allowed 2,866 net passing yards, 12th-fewest in the league. To put the improvement in perspective: Their pass defense was 28th last season and has ranked among the bottom five in the NFL three of the past four seasons. Not since 1998, when they were 11th, have they ranked higher than 20th.

Healthy Jue doesn't suck. He's just an injury magnet. I think when he was fully healthy last year he was looking pretty decent, but he hasn't had three weeks of good health since the knee injury last year.

I still see the perception in the national media that our secondary is our weakest area on defense, and they are probably right to an extent--especially when it comes to our deep-middle zone coverage.

I hope the guys in this secondary view the postseason as the ultimate opportunity to change national perception of them as a weakness. If our secondary can step up big in the playoffs, no one will touch us.

All I know is my boy is resting up, inching steadily closer to 100% for the postseason, and when the whistle blows to start the first playoff game Luis is going to have flames shooting from his eyes.